51³Ô¹ÏÍø

The 1,400 freshmen at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøMethodist University now have been in class long enough for first-year anxieties to calm down some. This year’s freshmen actually may have less reason for the jitters, given that their average SAT score is 1302.

(The following links accompanied the editorial.)

That’s up — noticeably — from the 1144 SAT average for the 2000 freshman class.

The uptick is part of SMU’s sometimes-overlooked academic rise. The school also now has 96 endowed professorships, which represents about 13 percent of tenured faculty. Those 96 chairs are up from 62 endowed positions only five years ago. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøwants to soon have 100 or more such chairs.

Of course, the campus also is home to the new George W. Bush Presidential Center, which includes a museum, library and policy institute. The center has hosted several recent forums, including events involving 51³Ô¹ÏÍøfaculty.

The school, however, faces challenges in making sure students stay connected with one another and graduate on time. So SMU’s response includes making the campus a more vibrant place, and as part of that effort, it will debut 11 residential commons next fall. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøPresident Gerald Turner envisions the commons becoming part of each student’s identity. Freshmen and sophomores must live in a commons dorm. Some faculty will reside there, too. In short, they will live and learn together.

Each of these areas — student achievement, faculty development and the campus experience — are central to the school’s Second Century fundraising campaign. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøofficials recently increased the goal from $750 million to $1 billion, making the school one of only 34 private universities ever to undertake a billion-dollar campaign.

Dallas will benefit if the school raises the entire amount. Partnerships with the city can increase as 51³Ô¹ÏÍøexpands its faculty and research. A good template is how SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development has worked with the Dallas school district to improve education in West Dallas.

Dallas high school students also could benefit from the scholarship dollars the school wants to raise. 51³Ô¹ÏÍøhas brought in $180 million in scholarships, but that is short of the $200 million goal.

Scholarship funds can be hard to secure, especially when contributors want to donate in such a way that they can put their name on a building. But scholarship funds are critical as 51³Ô¹ÏÍøactively diversifies its enrollment. The campus has been seen as an outpost of well-heeled, well-connected families. But the truth is, SMU’s enrollment today is 25 percent minority, up sharply from even a decade ago. Financial aid will let 51³Ô¹ÏÍøkeep broadening its reach.

51³Ô¹ÏÍøwants to continue evolving into, as its motto proclaims, a school of world changers. Funds for scholarships can help make that a reality.

By the numbers

1302 Average SAT score for this year’s freshman class

11,000 Number of undergraduate and graduate students

25 Percentage of students from minority families

96 Number of endowed professorships

$180 million Amount 51³Ô¹ÏÍørecently has raised for scholarships

$200 million Total 51³Ô¹ÏÍøscholarship goal

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